One of the mammals that has become one of the most curious both for its appearance and its behavior is the quokka. It is an animal with an adorable behavior that has surprised everyone and has become the target of many tourists. And it is that this animal stands out for having a nice smile. Over time it has been considered one of the happiest animals in the world. It has caused a furor in recent years on social networks.
Therefore, we are going to dedicate this article to tell you all the characteristics, feeding, behavior and the current situation of the quokka.
Quokka, the happiest animal in the world
This animal has caused a furor on social networks as it has a smile that makes it look like it is very happy. To this is added a very sociable special behavior that allows tourists to take photos with them with incredible results. The quokka is an animal native to Australia and lives in certain areas of the western part of the continent. The vast majority of the abundance of this animal is found on Rottnest Island and Bald Island.
The first discoverers who saw the quokka pointed out that the area of its habitat was similar to a nest of rats. And it is that the general aspect that it can have the quokka is very similar to that of a giant rat. The big difference is that this animal has a different type of body and a very nice smile. With the passage of time, the entire area of Australia has been gaining fame and making tourists come every year to see these animals.
There are many selfies that tourists take with the quokka since they have a smile that makes them look very happy. When there are numerous photos on social networks of tourists with these animals, people's curiosity is aroused. We are going to investigate something more about the characteristics of this animal.
Key features
They are mammals that live approximately about 10 years while in the wild. Their diet is mainly herbivorous and they behave nocturnally. They can also be seen sometimes somewhat active during the day, but it depends on the temperatures and the situation. Most of the activity is at night. The vast majority of the water they need is ingested through the leaves they eat. Therefore, they are quite resistant to drought.
Another of the characteristics for which this mammal stands out is their ability to go for a long time without eating or drinking. Thanks to these evolutionary advantages, it has become an animal with a great capacity for adaptation. It can adapt to various environments and survive well. They are marsupial animals just like kangaroos. This means that they have a bag known as a marsupium in which the young grow and develop after birth. Normally, the adaptation and development time for the pups in the pouch usually lasts about 6 months after birth.
It must be taken into account that they have legs and a very long tail with great power as they are marsupials. The extremities are used to move with great speed between jumps. Thanks to the legs they can make quite powerful jumps. They also have great agility that makes them quick to sneak away. The average size of a quokka is the 40-90 centimeters long and weigh between 2.5-5 kilos. It can be similar to the size of a cat.
Although it can acquire different coats, the most normal thing is that the coat is brown and does not have honey fur on the legs or on the tail. The fact that it has no fur on its extremities is caused by its evolution. Evolution has made these animals shed hair on their extremities since they do not need to move at high speeds.
Quokka behavior
We are going to analyze the behavior that has made this animal so famous. Behavior is the aspect that makes all people intrigued to meet them. They have the appearance of being happy animals, they are not dangerous animals at all and their character is very curious. The sum of these characteristics makes many specimens approach humans when they see them. They can become very friendly, as long as they don't feel threatened at any time.
In addition to being social animals, they are actually very curious. They become very active and playful and they love to enjoy the people who are going to play with them. Another of the physical traits for which the animal stands out is its smile. Thanks to this aspect, it is considered the happiest animal in the world. Keep in mind that the quokka has a narrow muzzle and large cheeks. This is mixed with the friendly character and makes it seem like an expression of happiness and laughter on numerous occasions.
Thanks to all these aspects, it has been considered the happiest animal in the world since 2013. It has different features from other animals and a special behavior, for which there are numerous images on social networks about them. In the photos you can see how they interact quite easily with people who come up to them and show this expression of happiness.
Consequences of his fame
One of the fundamental aspects of this animal is also the main cause of its situation. And it is that the quokka is in danger of extinction since it is highly vulnerable to the reduction of its populations. The popularity that the animal has acquired has become one of its main problems to maintain populations. It has a tendency for populations to continue to decline and it has been decided to include it on the red list of endangered species.
These are one of the reasons why people are trying to avoid contact with humans. There are many tourists who dedicate themselves or look for them to take a picture with them and feed them. It is very easy for these animals to approach humans and they decide to play a point, however, tourists give them a wide variety of foods that do not correspond to their diet. This activity is negatively affecting the species. It can also make it difficult for the animal to eat as before.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about quokka.